The Wishing Tree
by Wand Child
Summary: It's times like these where I know I should have done something differently. I knew I had done what was right. What was expected of me, but something was missing. Something I never expected to miss..
1. After all this time

**The Wishing Tree**

**Chapter 1: After all this time**

It's times like these where I know I should have done something differently. I knew I had done what was right. What was expected of me, but something was missing. Something I never expected to miss..

________

Somewhere, after my years at Hogwarts, I lost my way. I waited for something to bring me back, something to jolt me into place, but nothing came. I knew it was time for me to find my way back, move on from my past, my trials and tribulations and find myself once again. But I needed someone to help me do that. And that one person was someone, when at Hogwarts; I would never have counted on to rescue me.

The realisation of my love for this one man came in a single night. For many years I had happily recounted my time at Hogwarts, relished in the beauty of the place and remained fond of the friends I had made there. Yet all through this, underneath it all, I knew there was something, something holding me back, something making me regret. Over the years, I realised what was missing, what was holding me back from making something of myself. Him.

To my horror I found myself missing him and I didn't know why. Why out of everybody would I miss _him_? None of it made any sense. Despite this, I knew that I had to find him. I had to. I knew that for all these years I had loved him and I knew that now was the right time for me to find him and explain. At that exact moment a gust of wind blew through my open window in my room and flew through the pages of my open book. The page that settled was titled **The Wishing Tree**.

It was as if time had waited for me.

As if the world was on my side.

_________

I walked slowly through the never-ending trees, barely taking in my surroundings. Glancing up I saw that the forest had begun to thin. I quickened my pace, knowing I was close, close to a place I had wished to be near for so long. Close to a place I had wondered about, wondered about its existence, about its truth, its magic.

I walked out of the forest and into the clear night, searching for my destination. At last I saw it, far in the distance, standing alone, as if waiting for me..

I set out across the grassy land laid before me; feeling suffocated in the night's breeze, knowing that when I reached my destination I would feel breathless with relief, relief that I had found, after all this time, what I was looking for.

I stopped no more than a metre in front of it, mesmerized by its beauty.

The Wishing Tree, it was real. I was breathing heavily, partly from the distance I had travelled, but partly because I had finally made it to the place where it was said, wishes _could _come true. I knew little about the tree's origin, or how it decided whether you were worthy of what you wished for, but just being near it, I felt that dash of hope, that tingling sensation that made me realise I had done the right thing.

I stepped closer, the grass rustling in the breeze around me. My arm outstretched of its own accord as I moved further towards the tree. I was no more than a centimetre from touching it; I heard it whispering the wishes of others in its branches around and above me. It was eerie, yet beautiful. I looked around me, I wanted to remember this moment, the moment before I touched The Wishing Tree, before everything might change.

At long last, I looked back at the tree, ready to change everything, ready to try and find _him_, and bring him back to me.

Something made me stop. I mentally cursed myself for my lack of courage. I was placed in Gryffindor for a reason, I _had_ courage. I needed to show that. But I realised within a second that it wasn't my lack of courage that had stopped me. Someone was here. Someone had seen me.

"Hermione?"

I turned.

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	2. Truth and magic

**The Wishing Tree**

**Chapter 2: Truth and magic**

The light from the moon was limited, and though it seemed to glare beautifully down upon The Wishing Tree, I couldn't see the man who was standing before me. He began to move curiously towards me.

"Yes?" I whispered. He stopped.

The silence dragged on, but neither of us moved.

I was getting desperate. I moved forwards, away from the tree, squinting.

My breath caught in my throat as his face became clearer, closer. What was he doing here? What were the chances that we would both come to this place on the same night? I couldn't find any words. I didn't know what to say, and it seemed neither did he.

"What are you doing here?" I offered an opener.

He didn't take it. He simply looked at me.

We were no more than a metre apart now.

After a long while of simply looking at each other. He spoke.

"Looking for you." He stated simply.

I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was looking for _me_? Why? How did he know where to find me? I was looking for _him_, that's all I knew. He was all I knew anymore. The Wishing Tree had granted me my wish before I had made it.

I looked up towards the moon, the stars, and the long branches of the tree, wiping away the few tears that fell as relief washed over me.

He was here, looking for me.

I looked back at his face to search for an answer, only to find he was gone. Panic rose inside me as I thought I had missed my chance, my chance to tell him everything I had ever felt, everything I had ever wanted. I turned towards The Wishing Tree to find him gazing at it, my panic subsided immediately. He was still here. I found myself walking towards where he was stood, stopping by his side, barely an inch from him. He continued to stare at the tree as he spoke.

"I didn't understand it at first."

"Didn't understand what?" I was confused.

He looked down at the mossy grass before looking directly at me.

"What I felt."

I swallowed. My mouth was dry. _What he felt_. What was he saying?

"What you felt." I stated stupidly, as if trying to confirm what I heard.

He looked away as if embarrassed. _Embarrassed_? He was _embarrassed_. I watched him walk away, I knew he wasn't leaving. He sat down and lent against the only other tree for what seemed like miles, I felt lured towards him as I knew I would, and so I followed. He didn't look at me once, and though years ago I would have easily walked away and thought nothing of it, or him, now I knew I could not. My feelings for him burned so strongly now, and I had never known that they would ever burn at all. The most encouraging part of this strange yet wonderful situation was the start. Hermione. He had called me Hermione.

"You called me by my first name." I looked at him, he looked back.

"Things are different now, I never wanted…at school I never wanted that front, not when I realised…what i…."

"Felt..." I finished. His eyes were boring into mine, and I couldn't look away. It was just me and him, alone. Nobody else mattered, not now. I knew what was happening, I didn't know why, but I didn't care. All I knew was that we were here, right now, and we both wanted the same things.

His hand appeared by my cheek, I sensed it rather than saw it.

"I…" He breathed.

I took his hand and placed it on my cheek, closing my eyes at his touch, his soft skin gliding over me like liquid.

"I've wanted this for so long." He murmured, and I felt him move closer to me. I slowly opened my eyes as he pressed his forehead against mine, breathing more rapidly.

I didn't have any words. I couldn't find any, but I knew it didn't matter. I didn't need to say anything, anything at all.

I lifted my head towards him and he bent down towards me and gently kissed me. His lips were the softest I had ever felt, and I longed for no others. He kissed me again, this time more passionately, more deeply, and I kissed him back with the same passion he gave me. My head was spinning, all I could think of was him, and how I never wanted this to end. He was who I had been searching for, all this time, all these years; he was who I wanted, despite everything we had been through in the past. Things were different now.

He pulled away gently staring intensely into my eyes. I stared back, mesmerised.

The moon seemed somehow brighter now, as if it was playing a part in the moment. Its light shone down onto us, making his hair gleam brighter than it usually did.

How I'd missed him, every part of him. Until now I hadn't realised I had ever missed him, at all. I even missed his smirk, his confident, arrogant smirk.

Until now I hadn't realised I was in love. I didn't just love him; I was _in _love with him.

I was in love with Draco Malfoy.

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